Diction Tone (HS)

Lesson-8: Tone

Directions: Read each poem and then answer the following questions.

Ellis Park

By Helen Hoyt

Little park that I pass through,

I carry off a piece of you

Every morning hurrying down

To my work-day in the town;

Carry you for country there

To make the city ways more fair.

I take your trees,

And your breeze,

Your greenness,

Your cleanness,

Some of your shade, some of your sky,

Some of your calm as I go by;

Your flowers to trim

The pavements grim;

Your space for room in the jostled street

And grass for carpet to my feet.

Your fountains take and sweet bird calls

To sing me from my office walls.

All that I can see

I carry off with me.

But you never miss my theft,

So much treasure you have left.

As I find you, fresh at morning,

So I find you, home returning --

Nothing lacking from your grace.

All your riches wait in place

For me to borrow

On the morrow.

Do you hear this praise of you,

Little park that I pass through?

Question 1: What is this poem about?

• This poem is about a park that a women passes through on her way to work. She expresses her appreciation of the park.

• This poem is about a school that a women passes through on her way to work. She expresses her appreciation of the school.

• This poem is about a shopping center that a women passes through on her way to work. She expresses her appreciation of the shopping center.

Lesson-8: Tone

Directions: Read each poem and then answer the following questions.

Ellis Park

By Helen Hoyt

Little park that I pass through,

I carry off a piece of you

Every morning hurrying down

To my work-day in the town;

Carry you for country there

To make the city ways more fair.

I take your trees,

And your breeze,

Your greenness,

Your cleanness,

Some of your shade, some of your sky,

Some of your calm as I go by;

Your flowers to trim

The pavements grim;

Your space for room in the jostled street

And grass for carpet to my feet.

Your fountains take and sweet bird calls

To sing me from my office walls.

All that I can see

I carry off with me.

But you never miss my theft,

So much treasure you have left.

As I find you, fresh at morning,

So I find you, home returning --

Nothing lacking from your grace.

All your riches wait in place

For me to borrow

On the morrow.

Do you hear this praise of you,

Little park that I pass through?

Question 2: What is the speaker's tone? Explain your answer using textual evidence.

• The speaker's tone is appreciative or fond. I believe this because of lines like " Do you hear this praise of you, /

  Little bus that I pass through?" In this line the speaker admits that she is praising the bus. She praises the bus because she appreciates it and feels fondly toward it.

• The speaker's tone is appreciative or fond. I believe this because of lines like " Do you hear this praise of you, / Little park that I pass through?" In this line the speaker admits that she is praising the park. She praises the park because she appreciates it and feels fondly toward it.

• The speaker's tone is appreciative or fond. I believe this because of lines like " Do you hear this praise of you, /

  Little school that I pass through?" In this line the speaker admits that she is praising the school. She praises the school because she appreciates it and feels fondly toward it.

Lesson-8: Tone

In Trouble and Shame

By D.H. Lawrence

I look at the swaling1 sunset

And wish I could go also

Through the red doors beyond the black-purple bar.

I wish that I could go

Through the red doors where I could put off

My shame like shoes in the porch

My pain like garments,

And leave my flesh discarded lying

Like luggage of some departed traveller

Gone one knows not where.

Then I would turn round

And seeing my cast-off body lying like lumber,

I would laugh with joy.

1. swaling: burning

Question 3: What is this poem about?

• This poem is about a guy who wants to remember his problems and live in this planet.

• This poem is about a girl who wants to forget her problems and leave this village.

• This poem is about a guy who wants to forget his problems and leave this planet.

Lesson-8: Tone

In Trouble and Shame

By D.H. Lawrence

I look at the swaling1 sunset

And wish I could go also

Through the red doors beyond the black-purple bar.

I wish that I could go

Through the red doors where I could put off

My shame like shoes in the porch

My pain like garments,

And leave my flesh discarded lying

Like luggage of some departed traveller

Gone one knows not where.

Then I would turn round

And seeing my cast-off body lying like lumber,

I would laugh with joy.

1. swaling: burning

Question 4: What is the speaker's tone?

• The speaker's tone in this poem could be described as joyful and proud. I believe this because at the end of the poem the speaker says, "seeing my cast-off body lying like lumber, / I would laugh with joy." This means that he would be happy to be live forever, which means that he is feeling very good about something that happened.

• The speaker's tone in this poem could be described as regretful and ashamed. I believe this because at the end of the poem the speaker says, "seeing my cast-off body lying like lumber, / I would laugh with joy." This means that he would be happy to not be alive anymore, which means that he is feeling very bad about something that happened.

• The speaker's tone in this poem could be described as oblivious and greedy. I believe this because at the end of the poem the speaker says, "seeing my cast-off body lying like lumber, / I would laugh with joy." This means that he would be confused about what to do, which means that he is feeling very greedy about something that happened.

Lesson-8: Tone

From Prelude

By Richard Aldington

How could I love you more?

I try to think of one lovely gift

No lover yet in all the world has found;

I think: If the cold somber1 gods

Were hot with love as I am

Could they not endow2 you with a star

And fix bright youth forever in your limbs?

Could they not give you all things that I lack?

You should have loved a god; I am but dust.

Yet no god loves as loves this poor frail dust.

1. somber: dark, dreary, joyless

2. endow: give someone something for free

Question 5: What is this poem about?

• This poem is about a guy who loves a person so much that it makes him feel insufficient.

• This poem is about a guy who hates a person so much that it makes him feel insufficient.

• This poem is about a guy who loves a dog so much that it makes him feel insufficient.

Lesson-8: Tone

From Prelude

By Richard Aldington

How could I love you more?

I try to think of one lovely gift

No lover yet in all the world has found;

I think: If the cold somber1 gods

Were hot with love as I am

Could they not endow2 you with a star

And fix bright youth forever in your limbs?

Could they not give you all things that I lack?

You should have loved a god; I am but dust.

Yet no god loves as loves this poor frail dust.

1. somber: dark, dreary, joyless

2. endow: give someone something for free

Question 6: What is the speaker's tone?

• The speaker's tone is sad, but he also feels inadequate. I know that the tone is sad because he says, " If the cold somber¹ gods / Were hot with love as I am." This shows that he is deeply upset. I also know that he feels inadequate because he says, "I am but dust. / Yet no god loves as loves this poor frail dust." Though his tone is sad, he expresses his inadequacy by referring to himself as "poor frail dust."

• The speaker's aggressive is loving, but he also feels inadequate. I know that the tone is aggressive because he says, " If the cold somber¹ gods / Were hot with rage as I am." This shows that he is deeply in anger. I also know that he feels inadequate because he says, "I am but dust. / Yet no god loves as loves this poor frail dust." Though his tone is aggressive, he expresses his inadequacy by referring to himself as "poor frail dust."

• The speaker's tone is loving, but he also feels inadequate. I know that the tone is loving because he says, " If the cold somber¹ gods / Were hot with love as I am." This shows that he is deeply in love. I also know that he feels inadequate because he says, "I am but dust. / Yet no god loves as loves this poor frail dust." Though his tone is loving, he expresses his inadequacy by referring to himself as "poor frail dust."

Lesson-8: Tone

Lone Dog

By Irene Rutherford McLeod

I'm a lean dog, a keen dog, a wild dog, and lone;

I'm a rough dog, a tough dog, hunting on my own;

I'm a bad dog, a mad dog, teasing silly sheep;

I love to sit and bay the moon, to keep fat souls

from sleep.

I'll never be a lap dog, licking dirty feet,

A sleek dog, a meek dog, cringing for my meat,

Not for me the fireside, the well-filled plate,

But shut door, and sharp stone, and cuff and kick,

and hate.

Not for me the other dogs, running by my side,

Some have run a short while, but none of them

would bide1.

O mine is still the lone trail, the hard trail, the

best,

Wide wind, and wild stars, and hunger of the

quest!

1. bide: endure, bear, tolerate

Question 7: What is this poem about?

• This poem is about a cat that lives by himself. The cat’s life is not easy, but he is strong and enjoys living his wild life.

• This poem is about a man that lives by himself. The man’s life is not easy, but he is strong and enjoys living his wild life.

• This poem is about a dog that lives by himself. The dog’s life is not easy, but he is strong and enjoys living his wild life.

Lesson-8: Tone

Lone Dog

By Irene Rutherford McLeod

I'm a lean dog, a keen dog, a wild dog, and lone;

I'm a rough dog, a tough dog, hunting on my own;

I'm a bad dog, a mad dog, teasing silly sheep;

I love to sit and bay the moon, to keep fat souls

from sleep.

I'll never be a lap dog, licking dirty feet,

A sleek dog, a meek dog, cringing for my meat,

Not for me the fireside, the well-filled plate,

But shut door, and sharp stone, and cuff and kick,

and hate.

Not for me the other dogs, running by my side,

Some have run a short while, but none of them

would bide1.

O mine is still the lone trail, the hard trail, the

best,

Wide wind, and wild stars, and hunger of the

quest!

1. bide: endure, bear, tolerate

Question 8: What is the speaker's tone?

• The speaker’s tone is independent and strong. There is also a touch of loneliness and pain. I believe that the dog is proudly independent because of these lines, “I’ll never be a lap dog, licking dirty feet, / A sleek dog, a meek dog, cringing for my meat.” This shows that he is proud of not being like other dogs that beg and yield to masters. There is also a touch of loneliness and pain in lines like, “Some have run a short while, but none of them would bide.” This line shows that the dog has had friends or parents before but lost them.

• The speaker’s tone is constrained and weak. There is also a touch of loneliness and pain. I believe that the man is dependent because of these lines, “I’ll never be a lap dog, licking dirty feet, / A sleek dog, a meek dog, cringing for my meat.” This shows that he is proud of not being like other men that beg and yield to masters. There is also a touch of loneliness and pain in lines like, “Some have run a short while, but none of them would bide.” This line shows that the man has had friends or parents before but lost them.

• The speaker’s tone is independent and strong. There is also a touch of loneliness and pain. I believe that the cat is proudly independent because of these lines, “I’ll never be a lap cat, licking dirty feet, / A sleek cat, a meek cat, cringing for my meat.” This shows that he is proud of not being like other cats that beg and yield to masters. There is also a touch of loneliness and pain in lines like, “Some have run a short while, but none of them would bide.” This line shows that the cat has had friends or parents before but lost them.